Work Done in 2021

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Got out for another quick cutting trip, likely last one for the year. Mostly mahogany that I added, a handful of juniper but it’ll likely be enough as I’ll hoard it for the lower temps that usually crop up late December-February (teens to negative digits).

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@Medic21 hows it going? havent seen a lot of posts from you until now, just checking in.
 
We had patchy frost yesterday up here in the St Lawrence Valley/Northern Adirondacks, but a good hard 25 degree killing frost last night.
I can't wait until we get that here, maybe 1st week of Nov which will be sort of late, I'm only 36 but I remember walking to the bus stop 25 years ago and seeing thin ice on the neighbors pond in the am before Halloween here. I need the killing frost then put on the brush cutter and go to town trimming back the raspberry bushes and other brush.
 
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Scored a clean up along a field behind my house. Farmer is tired of dead ash falling into the field. Got about a third done before being rained out my entire storage under roof, 15+ cords, is full for the first time ever of seasoned wood. Probably 3 processed yesterday and today. Even put the kid to work.

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Nice work @Medic21 , it's always a good feeling when the firewood inventory is full.
 
Got out for another quick cutting trip, likely last one for the year. Mostly mahogany that I added, a handful of juniper but it’ll likely be enough as I’ll hoard it for the lower temps that usually crop up late December-February (teens to negative digits).

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Looks good @MMH , on average, how much firewood do you burn during your heating season?
 
Looks good @MMH , on average, how much firewood do you burn during your heating season?
I’d say during a good, or what I’d call a “real winter” 3-5 cords. The last few years have been very mild. We haven’t gone through much, last year I don’t think we even used 2.5-3. The last few years I’ve cut about a 1/2 cord of mahogany and it’s usually enough for the coldest parts.
 
Been very busy. Got out of Emergency Services completely and am running a shop for Bobcat. Turning wrenches on top of that every day also.
Left EMS after serving 12 years straight, was an EMT from year 2001 thru 2015, just got burnt out from it all (we were volley doing 600 calls a year), stuck with the fire dept, though and will still do it for another 20yrs.
I personally think everyone capable should do a ems or fire service for a min of 3 years, its would put a lot of things into perspective, thank you for your service.
 
Left EMS after serving 12 years straight, was an EMT from year 2001 thru 2015, just got burnt out from it all (we were volley doing 600 calls a year), stuck with the fire dept, though and will still do it for another 20yrs.
I personally think everyone capable should do a ems or fire service for a min of 3 years, its would put a lot of things into perspective, thank you for your service.
25 years full and part time as a Firefighter/EMT/Paramedic. The private and hospital based EMS systems are such a broken system I couldn’t do it anymore. Under staffed and over worked, did a lot of 48hr+ shifts in the last decade, got completely burned out. Was an easier decision than I thought it would be to let my cert go.

After I became Chief of the Fire Department I lost all the fun of it. When I moved I tried the local combination department as a part timer and quickly was done with the politics and games.

My life is much simpler now, Monday through Friday 8-5 for $12/hr more than I made in EMS.

And, no, not everyone is capable. That is the biggest problem in EMS. We are keeping people that wouldn’t have made it out of training 20 years ago in order to have a warm body in the seat of the truck. They are incapable of doing the job.
 
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@ medic21 @ Kennyp didn’t know you two were in that field, minus the obvious of the name. I’ve always asked people who I’ve come across that retired how they did it, they all have the same answers usually. I’ve been in ems since 2008, currently flying now. Seen private, hospital, governmental etc, they’re all broke, and they all typically share the same ideologies. Thank you 2 for your services.
 
Thank all of you for your services and May God Bless You and yours and may you have wonderful health as well.. clancey
 
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@ medic21 @ Kennyp didn’t know you two were in that field, minus the obvious of the name. I’ve always asked people who I’ve come across that retired how they did it, they all have the same answers usually. I’ve been in ems since 2008, currently flying now. Seen private, hospital, governmental etc, they’re all broke, and they all typically share the same ideologies. Thank you 2 for your services.
I flew in the Military as a medic. Was recruited pretty heavily last year by two different flight services by me. Something about always having everything done by the time they landed they liked lol. I knew the writing was on the wall then and that I was getting out. Didn’t think that would change anything for me.

The entire Emergency Medical System is broke, we sounded the alarm on deaf ears a decade ago and it’s now coming true. Problem is we can’t fix the root of the problems, it’s a State/Federal Government problem.
 
I flew in the Military as a medic. Was recruited pretty heavily last year by two different flight services by me. Something about always having everything done by the time they landed they liked lol. I knew the writing was on the wall then and that I was getting out. Didn’t think that would change anything for me.

The entire Emergency Medical System is broke, we sounded the alarm on deaf ears a decade ago and it’s now coming true. Problem is we can’t fix the root of the problems, it’s a State/Federal Government problem.
Yeah agreed it fell on deaf ears then and it’s falling on deaf ears now. I still enjoy the medicine and the people, I lucked out and found a good company, hopefully it stays that way. If not, maybe time to start my tractor business lol
 
Have not worked in the woodlot since this spring, but I am inspired by all of these posts. Temps are starting to drop in SE TN and it will be time very shortly. Will be good on wood for this year but I would love to be even further ahead for next year, the earlier I start the easier that will be. Will report back once I get started.
 
Hawkins ---you do that and it will be wonderful and you will be ahead and ready for anything..My wood I loaded today was a mixed variety and it is not quite seasoned enough--maybe next year--or when ever it is safe to burn...My real dry wood that I will use on the stove this year is in my house on the porch and sure hoping it is dry enough for the reading will be taken by my installer on Thursday when we light the stove..I bought those environ-logs "just in case" for that "stinky to be new stove will be lite"--getting geared up here for "more work"...You get ambition and get back to us and just think of how ready you will feel. old mrs clancey
 
Hawkins ---you do that and it will be wonderful and you will be ahead and ready for anything..My wood I loaded today was a mixed variety and it is not quite seasoned enough--maybe next year--or when ever it is safe to burn...My real dry wood that I will use on the stove this year is in my house on the porch and sure hoping it is dry enough for the reading will be taken by my installer on Thursday when we light the stove..I bought those environ-logs "just in case" for that "stinky to be new stove will be lite"--getting geared up here for "more work"...You get ambition and get back to us and just think of how ready you will feel. old mrs clancey
Mrs. Clancey, did you buy a moisture meter or does the installer have one?

I was just talking with the wife, we're going to start burning hardwood on November 1, we'll start putting in some trailer loads on Thursday & Friday mornings and save what pine we have left for the spring.

I checked some pine with our moisture meter after it had been inside about one week, the smaller stuff had a reading of 8 percent, the mid-size splits were at 10 and the biggest splits had a reading of 12. All the pine we're burning was cut in 2016 into rounds and log length and then the rounds split and stacked over a year.

I hope your firewood gives you plenty of heat.
 
Tonight was the first fires of the season. A cold rainy 45 to 48 all day it was time. The weather this past week has been tough to do anything outside, I'm glad I loaded the garage up a few weeks ago. Depending where everyone is I hope none of the storms have caused anyone any problems. It seems like both coasts are getting hit.
 
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Woodlands--I do not have a moisture meter although I got some suggestions on this forum for some good ones...as well as the stove pipe temperature reader --one screws in the pipe that I think is the one that I will get--forget the name.., but got some really good advice--age slows one down a bit--lol...I was going to the fireplace store and a pretty large one but those plans got put off for now because my friend had to do other things for her family at that time..I really wanted to see all of this type of equipment and all the other things as well--like a shopping tour--lol--I was going to take pictures of it all but we never went and I was too insecure to drive there alone...(As one ages they get insecure with driving--especially in a strange place)..I zip all over the city on my "everyday paths" but once off of them I feel insecure--lol..All my life I have been a driver and drove cross country three times and went quite a ways up the east coast but not now--not confident enough..So anyway that trip was off...To answer your question my wood stove installer will bring a moisture meter and a temperature stove pipe gauge the type that is screwed into the piping and I think about 18 inches but i will let him handle all of this...I hope my kiln dried wood is dry enough and we will see so I am buying these items from him and of course this is extra money but the lighting of the stove will be started--Oh Boy, Oh boy--getting ready hoping my house does not burn down--lol.. This Wed I will devote a lot of my time to cleaning my beautiful stove with mild soap and water and wiping it clean with good wishes and love--silly but that's how I feel.. When I bought this stove I also got a blower that is hooked up and really do not know how that works and how it blows--quiet ignorant I am about all of these thing and was never really good mechanical wise with any equipment--my late husband would just laugh with some of the things that I tried to fix--we had good times--lol...Well will take pictures and share with you all about this exciting day coming--hoping not too exciting,,,clancey
 
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I stacked what was left of a small cherry on the bottom and the rest is hard & soft maple. I have another face cord of beech and some ironwood that will get s/s soon, that will be eight face cord in that area with room for another four.

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I finished stacking the beech, ironwood and some maple rounds today. I have room for another four face cord in this area so I went scouting for some ash and damaged maple which I found. If I get another four face cord up, I can squeeze in another two face in a different area

The face cord went in the stacking area near the two small maples in picture 2366, in picture 2373 is a bunch of smaller rounds I have left from the wood I was splitting today.

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I noticed this maple the other day on the check of our property, it had some rot going on halfway up.

Picture 2375 is the area with some rot, 2378 is the same area after it was on the ground, 2380 is the first load and the last two pictures are the second load, 2381 is on a main trail and 2382 is up on the ridge heading home.

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Got about 2.5 cords of oak, cut with my stihl chainsaw and hauled across town to my house with my truck and split with my fiskers splitting axe. I’m glad I’m still young enough to do all this work. It’s oak so maybe in about 10 years it’ll by dry (kidding, probably 3 years).
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Here’s some of it
 
Got about 2.5 cords of oak, cut with my stihl chainsaw and hauled across town to my house with my truck and split with my fiskers splitting axe. I’m glad I’m still young enough to do all this work. It’s oak so maybe in about 10 years it’ll by dry (kidding, probably 3 years).
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Here’s some of it
That will throw some nice heat once it's seasoned, nice work. I think that top covering it will help out.
 
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Last weekend I started cleaning up a couple formerly dead-standing oak trees that fell over the summer. The gypsy moths took quite a toll a couple years back here, and there are many more oaks that will fall in the coming years.

Today I split and stacked that first batch (front row, not quite full) since it's raining all day. A bit more punky than I'd hope, but the solid parts are around 20% already. I think outside even covered this stack would just be a sponge, so this will have to live in the barn for now.

The shed I put up last winter and filled with mostly green oak is drying well (shrunk a lot), but the older covered stacks outside do not seem to have dried at all this summer. I think a second shed is in order so that I can get rid of all the outdoor stacks and free up space in the barn.

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